Her chest constricted at the pain in the man’s voice. All she knew was she’d take seeing her mother again over any memory any day, but her situation was different. And Reed had already been through a lot that day. She wouldn’t force something she really knew nothing about. “I understand.”

“I am trying to get better,” he said, as though needing her to know. “And then I can come back to him. To all of them.”

She hated that he seemed to be struggling to convince himself that would ever happen. She nodded. “Whenever that is, I’m sure Reed will welcome you home,” she said as George headed toward the door, knowing enough about the man she loved to know it was true.

But would he welcome her back into his heart?

“Take care of them for me, okay?”

“I will,” she said, waving to him as he left the hospital.

* * *

REED’S ENTIRE BODY ACHED, and it took a long minute to realize he was in a hospital room and not still on the side of Canyon Ridge, his body crushed between boulders. The tiled ceiling over his head and the dimmed lights were a welcome sight. While the IV in his arm and breathing tube in his nose weren’t a great sign, he was overcome with relief that whatever injuries he’d suffered were being cared for. His team had found him and saved his life. Pain radiated through his core and his limbs felt slightly numb, heavy when he tried to move.

He turned his head, trying to focus, but his vision and mind were blurry. Just the slightest movement had waves of nausea washing over him and he forced several deep breaths.

Whatever drugs they had him on were making him hallucinate, because he was staring at Erika sitting at his bedside. She was the last image he’d seen on the mountain before his world had gone dark and in his distorted reality, he was seeing her now.

Man, he really had it bad.

He needed to get better, get out of there to see her for real. If this accident had taught him anything, it was that he needed to fight harder to prove to her that they should be together. If that meant moving to Anchorage, he would. If it meant reevaluating everything in his life, he would.

For her. Anything for her.

God, this drug-induced version of her was so freaking beautiful. Her dark green cashmere sweater hugged her beautiful curves, the slight V-neck giving him a teasing glance of the perfect breasts he longed to touch again. Her dark hair pulled into a low ponytail hanging over one shoulder and her mesmerizing eyes, full of concern...and love as they remained locked with his.

“Hi,” she said, moving closer.